This is the first blog in a series taken from the book of Ezekiel as it relates to small churches.

  I was trained in the Church Growth school of thought.  As I have stated in other places I hold to much of the training and reject part (isn't that what everyone does with what they learn in school?).  Much is said about this topic--some embrace it and some bash it.  The key is to understand that no system applies to every situation.  In the book of Ezekiel we find God giving His opening ins...

  The Beauty of the Small Church: Essays to Encourage and to Equip Small Church Leaders is the new release by Les Puryear.  He is the pastor of the Lewisville Baptist Church in Lewisville, NC.  This is a congregation on the border between being a small church (less than 200 in average attendance) and a midsized church.  His book covers a number of small church issues.

  The book is actually a compilation of Puryear’s blogs made into chapter format.  This is a very interesting approach and ...

  I was trained in the Church Growth field of study.  I read almost every major book on the subject and wrote my doctoral dissertation about church growth.  This may come as a surprise to some of you seeing that I am a small church advocate.  I mean, a guy with a webpage called “Small Church Tools” couldn’t be too much into Church Growth thinking, so what gives.

  It is really very simple.  I took away the things that were true and useful and discarded the rest.  Isn’t that what ever...